System, method and apparatus for banner advertising capable of allowing easy handling of a banner advertisement

• US 20040117258A1
• Filed: 09/26/2003
• Published: 06/17/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Kanbara, Kohji
• Granted Patent: US 8,862,501 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0273 Determination of fees for advertising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement

Abstract

A banner advertisement system includes an advertisement terminal, a banner advertisement server, and an image forming apparatus. The advertisement terminal generates a banner advertisement. The banner advertisement server distributes the banner advertisement generated by the advertiser terminal. The image forming apparatus includes a displaying mechanism for displaying the banner advertisement distributed by the banner advertisement server and a response sending mechanism for sending to the advertiser terminal at least one of an order and an inquiry for at least one of a product and services offered by the banner advertisement displayed on the displaying mechanism.

Claims

1. A banner advertisement system, comprising:

an advertiser terminal configured to generate a banner advertisement;

a banner advertisement server configured to distribute the banner advertisement generated by the advertiser terminal; and

an image forming apparatus comprising;

a displaying mechanism configured to display the banner advertisement distributed by the banner advertisement server; and

a response sending mechanism configured to send to the advertiser terminal at least one of an order and an inquiry for at least one of a product and services offered by the banner advertisement displayed on the displaying mechanism.

2. A banner advertisement system as defined in claim 1, wherein the displaying mechanism includes a touch-sensing panel display.

3. A banner advertisement system, comprising:

advertiser terminal means for generating a banner advertisement;

banner advertisement server means for distributing the banner advertisement generated by the advertiser terminal means; and

image forming means comprising;

displaying means for displaying the banner advertisement distributed by the banner advertisement server means; and

response sending means for sending to the advertiser terminal means at least one of an order and an inquiry for at least one of a product and services offered by the banner advertisement displayed on the displaying means.

4. A banner advertisement system-as defined in claim 3, wherein the displaying means includes a touch-sensing panel display.

5. A banner advertisement method comprising the steps of:

providing an image forming apparatus comprising a display;

generating a banner advertisement at a banner advertiser terminal;

distributing the banner advertisement generated by the generating step to the image forming apparatus;

displaying the banner advertisement distributed by the distributing step on the display of the image forming apparatus; and

sending at least one of an order and an inquiry for at least one of a product and services offered by the banner advertisement displayed by the displaying step from the image forming apparatus to the banner advertiser terminal.

6. A banner advertisement method as defined in claim 5, wherein the display of the image forming apparatus includes a touch-sensing panel display.

7. A banner advertisement server comprising:

a communications interfacing mechanism configured to electrically communicate via a network with a plurality of image forming apparatuses capable of displaying a banner advertisement, sending an order for at least one of a product and services offered by the banner advertisement, and stores data of the order;

an advertisement distributing mechanism configured to distribute the banner advertisement to the plurality of image forming apparatuses through the communications mechanism;

a data collecting mechanism configured to collect the data of the order from the plurality of image forming apparatuses through the communications mechanism;

a point converting mechanism configured to convert the data of the order into points for the plurality of image forming apparatuses; and

an accumulating mechanism configured to accumulate the points for the plurality of image forming apparatuses.

8. A banner advertisement server as defined in claim 7, further comprising:

a fee collecting mechanism configured to collect fees for the at least one of the product and the services from users of the plurality of image forming apparatuses for a banner advertiser through the communications mechanism.

9. A banner advertisement server as defined in claim 7, wherein the advertisement distributing mechanism distributes the banner advertisement through the communications mechanism to the plurality of image forming apparatuses which are in a non-operative state.

10. A banner advertisement server, comprising:

communications interfacing means for electrically communicating via a network with a plurality of image forming apparatuses capable of displaying a banner advertisement, sending an order for at least one of a product and services offered by the banner advertisement, and stores data of the order;

advertisement distributing means for distributing the banner advertisement to the plurality of image forming apparatuses through the communications means;

data collecting means for collecting the data of the order from the plurality of image forming apparatuses through the communications means;

point converting means for converting the data of the order into points for the plurality of image forming apparatuses; and

accumulating means for accumulating the points for the plurality of image forming apparatuses.

11. A banner-advertisement server as defined in claim 10, further comprising:

fee collecting means for collecting fees for the at least one of the product and the services from users of the plurality of image forming apparatuses for a banner advertiser through the communications means.

12. A banner advertisement server as defined in claim 10, wherein the advertisement distributing means distributes the banner advertisement through the communications means to the plurality of image forming apparatuses which are in a non-operative state.

13. A banner advertisement method, comprising the steps of:

providing a banner advertisement server;

connecting the banner advertisement server to, via a network, a plurality of image forming apparatuses capable of displaying a banner advertisement, sending an order for at least one of a product and services offered by the banner advertisement, and stores data of the order;

distributing the banner advertisement to the plurality of image forming apparatuses through the network;

collecting the data of the order from the plurality of image forming apparatuses through the network;

converting the data of the order into points for the plurality of image forming apparatuses; and

accumulating the points for the plurality of image forming apparatuses.

14. A banner advertisement method as defined in claim 13, further comprising the step of:

collecting fees for the at least one of the product and the services from users of the plurality of image forming apparatuses for a banner advertiser through the network.

15. A banner advertisement method as defined in claim 13, wherein the distributing step distributes the banner advertisement through the network to the plurality of image forming apparatuses which are in a non-operative state.

16. An image forming apparatus, comprising:

a communications interfacing mechanism configured to communicate with a banner advertiser terminal via a network;

a displaying mechanism configured to display a banner advertisement offering at least one of a product and services; and

a response sending mechanism configured to send to the banner advertiser terminal, through the communications mechanisms, at least one of an order and an inquiry for the at least one of the product and the services offered by the banner advertisement displayed on the displaying mechanism.

17. An image forming apparatus as defined in claim 16, wherein the displaying mechanism displays the banner advertisement when the image forming apparatus is in a non-operative state.

18. An image forming apparatuses defined in claim 16, wherein the communications mechanism receives a return message in an electronic mail form from the banner advertiser terminal in response to the at least one of the order and the inquiry for the at least one of the product and the services sent by the response sending mechanism.

19. An image forming apparatus as defined in claim 16, further comprising:

a downloading mechanism configured to download a return message in a printable form from the banner advertiser terminal in response to the at least one of the order and the inquiry for the at least one of the product and the services sent by the response sending mechanism.

20. An image forming apparatus as defined in claim 16, further comprising:

an advertisement registering mechanism configured to access a banner advertisement server to register a banner advertisement.

21. An image forming apparatus as defined in claim 16, wherein the displaying mechanism includes a touch-sensing panel display.

22. An image forming apparatus, comprising:

communications interfacing means for communicating with a banner advertiser terminal via a network;

displaying means for displaying a banner advertisement offering at least one of a product and services; and

response sending means for sending to the banner advertiser terminal, through the communications interfacing means, at least one of an order, and an inquiry for the at least one of the product and the services offered by the banner advertisement displayed on the displaying means.

23. An image forming apparatus as defined in claim 22, wherein the displaying means displays the banner advertisement when the image forming apparatus is in a non-operative state.

24. An image forming apparatus as defined in claim 22, wherein the communications means receives a return message in an electronic mail form from the banner advertiser terminal in response to the at least one of the order and the inquiry for the at least one of the product and the services sent by the response sending means.

25. An image forming apparatus as defined in claim 22, further comprising:

downloading means for downloading a return message in a printable form from the banner advertiser terminal in response to the at least one of the order and the inquiry for the at least one of the product and the services sent by the response sending means.

26. An image forming apparatus as defined in claim 22, further comprising:

advertisement registering means for accessing a banner advertisement server to register a banner advertisement.

27. An image forming apparatus as defined in claim 22, wherein the displaying means includes a touch-sensing panel display.

28. A banner advertisement method, comprising:

providing an image forming apparatus;

connecting the image forming apparatus to a banner advertiser terminal via a network;

displaying a banner advertisement offering at least one of a product and services; and

sending to the banner advertiser terminal, through the network, at least one of an order and an inquiry for the at least one of the product and the services offered by the banner advertisement displayed by the displaying step.

29. A banner advertisement method as defined in claim 28, wherein the displaying step displays the banner advertisement when the image forming apparatus is in a non-operative state.

30. A banner advertisement method as defined in claim 28, further comprising a receiving step for receiving a return message in an electronic mail form from the banner advertiser terminal in response to the at least one of the order and the inquiry for the at least one of the product and the services sent by the response sending step.

31. A banner advertisement method as defined in claim 28, further comprising the step:

downloading a return message in a printable form from the banner advertiser terminal in response to the at least one of the order and the inquiry for the at least one of the product and the services sent by the response sending step.

32. A banner advertisement method as defined in claim 28, further comprising:

accessing a banner advertisement server to register a banner advertisement.

33. A banner advertisement method as defined in claim 28, wherein the displaying step includes a touch-sensing panel display.

34. An information processing apparatus, comprising:

a communications interface configured to communicate with an image forming apparatus via a network; and

a displaying mechanism configured to display a banner-advertisement which is distributed to the image forming apparatus when the image forming apparatus is in a non-operative state.

35. An information processing-apparatus, comprising:

communications interfacing means for communicating with an image forming apparatus via a network; and

displaying means for displaying a banner advertisement which is distributed to the image forming apparatus when the image forming apparatus is in a non-operative state.

36. A banner advertisement method, comprising steps of:

providing an information processing apparatus;

connecting the information processing apparatus to an image forming apparatus via a network; and

displaying a banner advertisement which is distributed to the image forming apparatus when the image forming apparatuses in a non-operative state.